Beach radar scours sea for smugglers

Device at Carlsbad's Ponto Beach can track boats within 20 miles of shore

“The overwhelming majority of small vessels operating in and around the United States coasts and in our ports and inland waterways are engaged in legitimate activities,” he said.

“However, a small number are platforms for illegal or illicit activities, such as human and drug trafficking, and may be used for waterborne attacks on our maritime infrastructure.”

At Ponto Beach on Wednesday, swimmers and sunbathers criticized the gray radar device as unattractive. But they also said smuggling was a large enough problem that such efforts were warranted.

“It’s a little distracting,” said Gina Eckert, referring to the constantly spinning 12-foot bar atop the device. “But we’re looking this way, at the ocean, not up there. And they need things like that so they can see who’s out there.”

The device, which is along the western edge of Carlsbad Boulevard just south of Avenida Encinas, has raised a lot of eyebrows since it was installed, lifeguard Erik Burgan said.

Jones, the Customs and Border Protection official, praised the state Parks Department, which oversees Ponto Beach, for allowing the radar device to be installed on short notice without any hassle.